Shane's Just Seen A Face
by nikidarling
Summary: Edited and re-uploaded: sorry, it was driving me crazy. Little bit of Rane fluff for you CP Coulter "Dalton" fans out there! Takes place after Chapter 23 of the epic saga. K  for tiny amount of boy kisses? Shrugs.


So since I'm going through rather serious Dalton and Glee withdrawals, and there just isn't enough Rane fic in the world, I felt like I had to fulfill my own fantasies.

Shane, Reed, the twins and Dwight are all owned by CP Coulter, Blaine and Kurt are owned by Ryan Murphy, but I own the stories I make up with said characters in my mind.

Hope you enjoy! A little hurt at the start but more than enough fluff to make up for it at the end. Seriously, I was vomiting ranebows all over my laptop.

* * *

"...Micah?" Reed squeaked, eyeing Shane, whose eyes were trained on the site before him. He knew little about Shane's past, but enough to figure out this must have been _the one_. The one who caused Shane any pain he may have accidentally shown, for whom Blaine took the brunt of the abuse from his father for. He swallowed the huge lump in his throat, turning back to see the boy- well groomed, glasses on the bridge of his nose, eyes boring holes into Shane's.

As Shane's initial shock wore off, Reed felt the space next to him become empty and watched as his crush walked forward, eyeing Micah before being enveloped in a hug by the slightly shorter boy. Reed felt his heart drop to the bottom of his feet, and he felt his breath shorten, luckily unnoticed by the others so invested by shock around him. His feet seemed to act faster than his brain, and he felt himself moving backwards away from the scene. He took in one shaky breath before pushing the large door open and walking into the hall. He exhaled quietly and immediately felt tears pool over his eyes and fall down his cheeks. He hugged his arms around his small frame, walking as quickly as he could to just get back to the solidarity of his room. Of course Shane wouldn't want him- the love of his life was back. Reed was nothing but an infatuation, a boy to feed into his ever-growing ego. Reed didn't want these thoughts going through his strawberry curled little head, but they seemed to make him feel better. Or worse; he still couldn't decide.

Not watching where he was going, he caught his shoulder on the corner of the wall as he rounded it and did a spin before falling to the ground with a yelp. His small whimpers quickly turned into sobs as he curled himself up as small as possible, leaning against the wall with his face buried in his knees. He didn't care who saw him anymore, even though the halls had been empty most of the day, and still seemed that way, until a few moments later when he heard a set of footsteps slow and stop in front of him.

"Reed?" Reed wanted to cry even more when he heard Dwight's concernced voice above him. "What is it?" He felt a hand on his arm, trying to pry it away so he could better see the small heap of boy. He heard Dwight sigh sadly, and then felt arms sliding under his to lift him off of the floor. Instinctively Reed wrapped his arms around Dwight's neck, his tear-soaken face burying into his shoulder. He was then being half-dragged down the hall, willing his feet to find their place to walk in step with his friend. He kept his face buried as much as he could, not wanting him or anyone else passing by to see him. Luckily his sobs had subsided, but his voice still came out shaky, full of sadness brimming on more crying bouts.

"Dwight, Sh-Shan-"

"I know. I saw, Reed." He responded in a soothing tone to his friend.

"M-my shoulder hurts." Dwight bit back a laugh, looking curiously at the curly headed top.

"Not sure what that has to do with anything, but okay. Do you think you can stand now?"

Reed nodded, unwrapping an arm from Dwight, sniffling against his shirt before turning his head to face the corridor in front of him.

"Besides your hair's getting in my mouth."

"Oh. Sorry." Reed giggled with a sniff, rubbing his nose with his free hand but keeping his other would tightly around Dwight, holding on for dear life; his safety line, as he wanted to call him.

* * *

Two days later, and Reed didn't hear word one from Shane. He was sat on his bed surrounded by homework, though he was barely concentrating on it. His eyes kept flashing to his phone on the bed next to him, hoping to see the familiar name appear on the screen. He sighed, exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and finally surrendered to the small technology, deciding to turn it off before sticking it underneath his mound of pillows.

"Hey, Reed-a-licious!" Reed looked up as the door was thrust open, wanting to sigh in relief at the site of the blonde twins bobbing into his room. Instead he settled back into his pillows, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Please don't call me that."

"Aw, why?"

"I thought it was rather clever!"

"Hey, thanks!" Reed allowed a giggle to escape his lips as he watched the brothers engage in a ridiculous handshake, one he was sure they had been doing since birth. Once they finished they turned, grinning identically at the small boy. He looked worried between the two.

"Is there something you need?"

"We haven't seen you in two days, Reed."

"Two days!" Evan exclaimed, repeating his brother.

"We need to get you out of here or you're going to turn into a hermit."

"A hermit!"

"Stop that, Evan!"

"Stop that- oh." He turned to look at Reed again. "So, you're coming with us."

"Oh...where?" He raised a light eyebrow to his friends, slowly sliding to the end of his bed.

"Oh, you'll find out." Ethan nodded, all knowingly.

"Kurt has a treat for you."

"A treat? What-" He was cut off by a delicious, familiar odor wafting into his bedroom. He inhaled deeply, his brown eyes widening as he stared at the twins. "Is that what I think it is?" As the twins nodded slowly, grinning and eyes wild, Reed jumped off the bed, snagging his foot on the comforter. He would have faceplanted it if the twins weren't there to catch him, but that didn't deter him as he righted himself and ran out of the room down the hall.

"I get the first cookie batch!" The twins shook hands in achievement before running after the curly haired boy, laughing wildly. Little did they know that another curly haired boy had been dialing furiously only to keep reaching a voicemail message.

* * *

"_Blaine!" _Blaine groaned as he moved the phone from his ear, staring at the bright screen lighting up the darkness of his room.

"Shane? Why do you insist on bothering me at odd hours of the night?"

"_What are you talking about? It's the afternoon!" _

"It's 10:30 p.m."

"_It is? Oh, man. Anyway-" _

"Do you ever sleep?"

"_There's no time for sleep, big bro! This is too important."_

Blaine sighed, pushing himself up in his bed to lean on one arm, trying to adjust to the darkness. "Is it Micah?"

"_Micah? What? No, I don't wanna talk about him. It's Reed."_

The older Anderson rolled his eyes. Of course it was Reed- it always was with Shane.

_"His phone is turned off!"_

"...And what do you want me to do about it?"

"_Well, I wanted you to talk to him, ask him to turn it on, but-"_

"No."

He wanted to laugh at Shane's frustrated groan, but annoyance of constantly being woken up by his brother took over instead.

"_Okay, that's fine. But can you at least let him know I wanna talk to him?" _

"Shane, I don't know, he seemed really distraught over Micah coming back."

He heard his younger brother's breath hitch on the other end, as though he was on the verge of tears at any moment.

"_So he won't talk to me?"_

"I just don't want to pry, okay? Just give him time; you can't keep forcing yourself on him and I can't be a part of it."

After a moment of steady breathing on the other end, Blaine finally heard his brother's authorative voice.

_"Okay, fine, fine- you don't have to talk to him. I just need you to help me with something-"_

"No."

_"Oh, come on! I didn't even say what it was yet!" _

"I know; I just know you, and it'll cost me something, as it usually does."

_"It won't- I promise, okay? Look if you help me with this, I promise not to ask for any favors for...at least a week." _

"Shane..."

_"Two weeks! And I'll give you full access to my gaming systems- I'll bring them up to Dalton._"

Blaine turned to sit up, fully awake now and ran his free hand over his stubbly chin. "Sounds intriguing..."

_"And I'll give you a Snickers bar."_

"Okay, you're on." Blaine grinned to himself- he could already taste the nutty, caramel, nougaty goodness. "What do you need?"

_"When can I come up there? I don't want Reed to see me, though- yet._"

* * *

"So...any calls from Shane?" Kurt eyed his roommate curiously. It had been almost 4 days since the taller Anderson boy was mentioned, and he wondered what was going on in that curly headed top of his. He saw Reed cringe slightly at the name, but spoke with his usual voice. "Well, no. I don't have my phone though- it was on my bed, but I think I lost it." He looked up with his innocent brown eyes at Kurt, who had stopped packing his weekend bag to look sadly at him.

"Oh, Reed."

Reed only gave a shrug, reaching back down to pull a few canvases out from under his bed. "I'm sure he wasn't trying to call anyway. Probably been busy catching up with Micah." He had never even met the boy, but somehow the name left a sour taste in his mouth.

Kurt just zipped up his over-packed bag and walked closer to his friend. "I wouldn't be so sure, Reed; you know those Anderson boys- persistant little buggers." He gave a chuckle as he managed to raise a smile out of him, bumping him shoulder to shoulder. He walked back over to his bag, hauling it onto the bed, deciding to keep the conversation flowing. "So what will you be doing this weekend?"

"Oh, painting. Seeing if maybe I can finish one of these. What do you think?" Kurt eyed the half-finished canvases spread out on the bed, smiling to himself as he saw a profile of a familiar curly-haired boy barely peeking out through two larger paintings. "I think you can. You've just got to focus, Reed, try not to let your mind stray." He smiled as he pulled on his black overcoat, buttoning it up before heaving the bag off of the bed. "Well, I'll see you Monday."

"Mhm. Have fun with your dad!" He called over his shoulder, eyes trained on the works in front of him. He turned when he heard the door open, smiling sadly as he saw Blaine entering.

"Hey, babe." He walked over to Kurt, looking at him with a smile before eyeing the bag in his hands. "Really?"

"It's not that bad- could be a lot worse." Blaine just rolled his eyes with a smile, leaning over to kiss Kurt on the cheek. "Of course." He took the bag from his boyfriend, groaning at the surprise of its weight, then turned to exit the room. Reed watched with a smile, waggling his fingers to Kurt in a goodbye fashion. Just as he was about to turn his back again he heard Blaine say his name. "Yeah?"

"I have something for you." He half-carried, half-dragged the bag out of the room before returning with a taller Anderson in tow, smiling sheepishly. Reed's breath caught in his throat, chocolate eyes widening further as the tall boy walked into completely into the room. He barely registered hearing Kurt yell a goodbye and Blaine with a "take good care of it!" before the door was shut on the two of them.

It felt like an eternity of silence that stretched on, awkward yet not awkward, both of them barely breathing. Unable to break any eye contact, finally Shane opened his mouth, his lips forming a simple word.

"...Hi."

This seemed to break whatever trance had fallen upon Reed, and he was able to finally formulate words again.

"Shane, what- what are you doing here?" He eyed the other boy, a combination of confusion, fear, and admiration swimming in his eyes.

The only thing that came into his thoughts was that Shane was here to say goodbye forever. He backed away reflexively at the thought, and eyed the guitar curiously in the boy's right hand. _Is he going to break it off through song? I can't, I just can't_... The words repeated in his mind and tears immediately began to spring into his eyes. His eyes met Shane's once again and he could see them widen, sadness filling them.

"Reed, what-" Shane set the guitar down against the wall before crossing the space to get closer to him. "What's the matter? What did I d-" Reed stepped back, coming in contact with the wall. Shane had his arms open wanting to hold the other boy, but Reed held him away at an arm's length.

"Don't, please." Reed watched as his crush slowly dropped his arms dejectedly, staring like a kicked puppy dog at the smaller boy. He let out a whimper, but gathered up what strength he had to speak up, letting himself be heard.

"I know Micah's back, and I know why you're here. After seeing him again, y-you realized that whatever you felt for me was just...fake. Or infatuation, or whatever you call it. B-but he's the one you really love. He's the one who can give you what you want-" Reed took in a shaky breath, a tear rolling slowly down his cheek, "-and what you need. So I guess here is where I respond by saying...I'm sorry, and I hope you h-have a great and happy life, and I guess this is goodbye." Instinctively he wrapped his arms around himself, the tears falling freely from his eyes now. He expected Shane to nod in agreement, say his goodbye, and walk out of his life forever; instead, he looked up to find him standing, tears pooling his eyes, jaw open with a look of shock and pain. Reed turned to face the wall as he felt his face redden, squinting his eyes shut tightly as silent sobs racked through his body.

"Reed..." Shane said sadly, before moving forward to turn the boy to face him. His hands immediately went up to cover his face, but Shane's larger ones moved them away and cupped Reed's face, which caused him to look at the boy once again.

"Reed, that's not why I came here at all." Shane sniffed, blinking back tears that threatened to fall. He wanted to be the strong one; he _needed_ to be. "I came here, because I couldn't get ahold of you, and I was worried...I wanted to tell you that nothing is happening, or going to happen between me and Micah, _nothing_, because he's not you."

Reed stared up into the honest eyes, but he still felt confused. "W-what?" He breathed out, and looked down as Shane took his small hands, holding them gently before he continued.

"It was nice to see Micah, and yeah, it was confusing at first. Someone you haven't seen for a long time, and who at one time meant so much to you magically appears right before your eyes, it throws you for a loop. But it didn't take me long to realize that everything I had once felt for him, was gone. Gone, because I'm not the same person anymore, and he's not who I want to be a part of my life. It's you, Reed- it's always you. _You_ made me a better person."

Reed stared, mouth agape as Shane finished speaking and stared down at him. His eyes softened, and every bad feeling he had; every tear he shed over the course of a week disappeared, long forgotten like a pair of last year's Dolce and Gabbana pumps in the back of a closet. His heart feeling too big for his chest, he threw himself against the taller boy, winding his arms around his neck, toes barely touching the ground as the hug was returned.

"Oh, Shane..." he spoke muffled, new tears stinging his eyes- except these had a different feeling all together; they were happy. After a few more moments of embracing one another, and Shane enjoying his face buried in the soft curls that smelled so distinctly of Reed, he pried himself from the boy before swiping a thumb under his eye to wipe the excess tear clinging there.

"So um...Shane?" Reed chewed on his lip, looking up at him again.

"Yes, love?" Shane replied quietly, running a hand down his tiny arm in order to just have some contact with the boy.

"What...what is the guitar for?" He pointed behind Shane, who turned curiously, forgetting he had even brought it with him. "Oh!" He laughed, regrettably detaching himself from Reed as he stalked over to the guitar, picking it up carefully and walking over to sit on the couch.

"Come sit down, I-" He smiled as Reed followed suit, sitting at the opposite end, hands clasped in his lap. "I wanted to sing you a song. But since I have no musical talent-" he held up a hand to keep Reed from interrupting, "and I couldn't write a ballad to save my life, I asked Blaine to teach me one of our favorite Beatles songs growing up." He moved to fish the violet guitar pick from his pocket, strumming it over the chords. "Now this is the first time I'm really playing guitar, I've only had about three days of lessons, so please take it easy on me, okay?" Reed just smiled and straightened his back, chewing on his lip as he listened intently to the beginning of the song.

_I've just seen a face I can't forget the time or place where we just met  
S-_HE's_ just the _guy_ for me and I want all the world to see we've met, mmmmm_

Reed giggled at the small correction of the song, able to recognize it now.

_Had it been another day, I might have looked the other w-way_

Shane cringed as he messed up on a note, trying to correct himself without Reed noticing.

_And I'd have never been aware,  
But as it is I'll dream of _him_ tonight, di di di di di di,_

_Falling_

Shane looked up as he heard a voice join his. He grinned as Reed began singing along, his head bouncing side to side, the free-falling curls mesmerizing to Shane.

_Yes I am falling  
and _he_ keeps calling me back again_

_I've never known the like of this  
I've been alone and missed things and kept out of sight  
but other _boys_ were never quite like this, mmmmmm_

Shane jumbled through the mess of notes before deciding to give up all together, and he loudly strummed the chords once before throwing his arms open and singing (or rather yelling) loudly toward the ceiling.

_Falling!  
Yes I am falling  
and _he_ keeps calling me back again!_

_Falling!_

_Yes I am falling!_

Reed joined in backing vocals with a giggle, matching the pitch of his voice to Shane's to sing along aloud.

_And _he_ keeps calling me back again! _

As they ran through the chorus a couple of more times, getting a few boos from the fellow Windsors out in the hallway, they finished laughing together. Shane set the guitar down on the floor by his feet, sighing with a smile at Reed. "So? What did you think?"

Reed responded by tackling the larger boy down onto the couch, who reacted with an _oomph!_ before wrapping his arms around the small torso of the boy he loved. Reed rested his hands on the side of Shane's face, grinning at him before kissing him on the cheek. Shane smiled, his eyes half-closed in exhaustion and ecstasy, happy that everything seemed to right itself once again. He let his eyes close, his smile never breaking. "I couldn't ask for anything better than this." Reed chewed on his lip as he looked down at Shane, then gathering whatever courage he might have, he leaned down and kissed over both of Shane's eyelids. Shane responded with a surprise squeak, only pulling the boy closer as he felt kisses feather over his forehead, his cheekbones, one on his chin, on his nose, and _finally_ one rested upon his lips. He sighed happily into the kiss, returning it gently, so Reed could get used to the sensation of this much physical intimacy. After a moment he felt Reed pull away and let his eyes flutter open to rest on the ones staring down at him, slightly startled but overall…happy. Shane's heart fluttered, sadly at the realization that he could cause the small boy so much pain, but also that he could take that all away and make him feel so much better.

Just as Reed laid his head on Shane's chest, he buried his face in the soft curls, whispering just for the two to hear.

"I don't want to be with anyone else in the entire world, but you. You're perfect to me."

Reed grinned, biting on his lip before responding with the only word that would make sense in this case.

"Ditto."


End file.
